Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team at the University of Notre Dame. The team competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association at the NCAA Division I level. History Ice hockey has existed on and off as both a club and varsity sport at Notre Dame since 1912. In 1968, the Fighting Irish started playing again at the Division I level as an independent. In 1971, the team joined its first conference, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The team continued playing in the WCHA for a decade until moving to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) with the conference's three Michigan schools in 1981. The Fighting Irish lasted only two years in the new CCHA, after designating Ice Hockey as a club sport for the 1983-1984 season the team played in the Central States Collegiate Hockey League (CSCHL). Notre Dame finished that season second in the CSCHL with a record of 13-2-0.http://cschl.com/page.php?page_id=5262 In 1984-1985 Notre Dame Hockey was once again elevated to varsity status with the team playing as a Division I independent. In 1992 Notre Dame rejoined the CCHA. The Irish struggled to remain competitive in the CCHA, but began to improve under head coach Dave Poulin. In 2004, Poulin led the team to its first ever NCAA Tournament. However, the year after was drastically different. 2005 was the worst season in Notre Dame history. The five-win campaign resulted in the resignation of coach Poulin. Jeff Jackson Era In 2005, Jeff Jackson took over as head coach. Jackson, who had already won two national championships at Lake Superior State University, had an immediate impact at Notre Dame. In his first season with the Irish, the team greatly improved upon the five-win season, boosting its record to 13-19-5. 2007 was even more successful. The Irish achieved their first ever number one ranking in both the Uscho.com and USA Today Polls and their first number one seeding for the NCAA Tournament. The following year, the Irish finished fourth in both the CCHA's regular season and playoffs, and again made the NCAA Tournament. Once there, the Irish went on to beat top-seeded New Hampshire 7-3 and third-seeded Michigan State 3-1 to advance to the Frozen Four for the first time in school history. From there, they defeated first-seeded Michigan in overtime to advance to the national title game, ultimately losing to Boston College 4-1. Notre Dame also became the first four-seed to advance to the national semifinals, and eventually to the national title game since the new 16-team format was introduced in 2003. In the 2008-2009 season, the Irish added another CCHA regular season title and a CCHA Tournament title, defeating Michigan 5-2 in the title game. Head Coaches Current roster Home ice The Irish currently play their home games under the North Dome of the Edmund P. Joyce Center. With a hockey capacity of just 2,857, it is the second smallest home rink in the CCHA. All seats are benches without chair backs, and most of the seating consists of temporary bleachers. In 2007, the Irish compiled an impressive 14-2-2 home record at the Joyce Center. Charles W. "Lefty" Smith Jr. Rink In February 2009, The University of Notre Dame announced it will begin construction next year on a new, freestanding, on-campus ice arena designed to meet the needs of both the nationally ranked Irish hockey team and the local community. Construction will begin on March 15, 2010 on the projected 5,000-6,000-seat arena - with the venue ready for play on October 1, 2011. The new ice arena will be located south of the Joyce Center, just north of Edison Road, and just west of where the new Irish track and field facility is being constructed. The majority of the general public arena seating will be of the chair-back variety. References Category:American ice hockey teams Category:National Collegiate Athletic Association teams Category:CCHA teams